Physical Therapist vs Physical Therapy Assistant: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Physical Therapist vs Physical Therapy Assistant: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1123 and 31-2021). The national median annual wage is $102,760 for physical therapists and $68,380 for physical therapy assistants (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +11.9% for physical therapists and +23.0% for physical therapy assistants from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree vs Associate's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Physical TherapistSOC 29-1123 | Physical Therapy AssistantSOC 31-2021 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $102,760 | $68,380 | Physical Therapist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 267,330 | 112,430 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +11.9% | +23.0% | Physical Therapy Assistant |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +33,800 jobs | +26,200 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 13,400 a year | 18,500 a year | Physical Therapy Assistant |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Doctoral or professional degree | Associate's degree | Physical Therapy Assistant |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 10% | less than 0.5% | Not ranked |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 84.5% | 75.0% | About the same |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | Professional degree (68.9%) | Associate's degree (71.8%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.74 | 3.50 | Physical Therapy Assistant |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.76 | 4.71 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.75 | 3.91 | Physical Therapist |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Empathy, Cooperation, Attention to Detail | Cooperation, Dependability, Empathy | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($102,760 vs $68,380)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.75 vs 3.91)
- faster projected national growth matters (+23.0% vs +11.9%)
- a shorter typical education path matters (Associate's degree vs Doctoral or professional degree)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.50 vs 3.74)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 47% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Operations Analysis (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Judgment and Decision Making (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Negotiation (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Writing (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+0.7 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Monitoring (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Repairing (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Physical Therapist
- Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
Physical Therapy Assistant
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
- Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
- Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
- Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Physical Therapist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (56.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (26.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Physical Therapy Assistant
- Ambulatory healthcare services (64.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (20.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (12.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Physical Therapist → Physical Therapy Assistant: skills to build: Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Selection, Operations Monitoring. Careers after Physical Therapist
- Physical Therapy Assistant → Physical Therapist: skills to build: Operations Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making, Negotiation.
Go deeper
Physical Therapist career hub · Physical Therapist salary · Physical Therapist how to become · Physical Therapist career change · Physical Therapy Assistant career hub · Physical Therapy Assistant salary · Physical Therapy Assistant how to become
Common questions
Which pays more, Physical Therapist or Physical Therapy Assistant?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1123 and 31-2021). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “physical therapist vs physical therapist assistant”, “physical therapist vs pta”, “physical therapist vs physical therapy assistant” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).